Photo: Marjorie Elzey
In a press conference a few weeks ago Union head coach Jim Curtin mentioned that the Union have recently rewarded their defense. He commented a day or two after the MLS Players Association released the spring ’22 version of its Salary Guide, whose data is as of April 15, 2022.
Below we combine our unofficial records and the MLS website’s current version of the Union’s salary cap structure to compare “average annualized total compensation” from September 30, 2021 to that of April 15, 2022. Our records data are abbreviated and rounded.
Our version of the 2022 salary cap roster requires four explanations.
- Matej Oravec still counts until his contract expires this December.
- We judge, without confirmation, that Gino Portella is on the injured list, and that as a contracted professional in 2021 he could only have been contracted to the first-team, since the second team was not part of a league recognized by U. S. Soccer. (We also judge without confirmation that MLS and U.S. Soccer gave the Union – and probably Portland and Orlando – some roster leeway in 2021 given that anomalous circumstance.)
- Senior Roster slots 19 and 20 may be left unused by rule.
- We judge without confirmation that Anton Sorenson is on year-long loan to Union II.
The table is ranked on the “Raise” column.
| Player |
2021 |
2022 |
Raise |
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|
Senior Roster: Slots 1-20 |
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| Jack Elliott | 1 | $ 340 K | $ 794 K | $454 K | |
| Jakob Glesnes | 2 | $ 448 K | $ 739 K | $291 K | |
| Olivier Mbaizo | 3 | $ 90 K | $ 367 K | $277 K | |
| Daniel Gazdag | 4 | $ 336 K | $ 586 K | $250 K | |
| Andre Blake | 5 | $ 650 K | $ 869 K | $219 K | |
| Sergio Santos | 6 | $ 729 K | $ 919 K | $180 K | |
| Julian Carranza | 7 | $ 750 K | $ 900 K | $150 K | |
| Alejandro Bedoya | 8 | $1,000 K | $1,100 K | $100 K | |
| Kai Wagner | 9 | $ 521 K | $ 581 K | $ 60 K | |
| Joe Bendik | 10 | $ 200 K | $ 250 K | $ 50 K | |
| Leon Flach | 11 | $ 224 K | $ 264 K | $ 40 K | |
| Jose Martinez | 12 | $ 251 K | $ 276 K | $ 25 K | |
| Stuart Findlay | 13 | $ 425 K | $ 450 K | $ 25 K | |
| Matt Real | 14 | $ 90 K | $ 105 K | $ 15 K | |
| Cole Turner | 15 | $ 85 K | $ 93 K | $ 8 K | |
| Mikael Uhre | 16 |
|
$1,500 K |
|
|
| Matej Oravec | 17 | $ 285 K | $ 315 K | $ 30 K | |
| Gino Portella | 18 | $ 64 K | $ 99 K | $ 25 K | |
| Unoccupied | 19 |
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| Unoccupied | 20 |
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|
|
| Supplemental Roster: Slots 21-24 | |||||
| Jesus Bueno | 21 | $ 97 K | $ 155 K | $ 58 K | |
| Jack de Vries | 22 | $ 136 K | $ 166 K | $ 30 K | |
| Cory Burke | 23 | $ 401 K | $ 451 K | $ 50K | |
| Quinn Sullivan | 24 | $ 67 K | $ 104 K | $ 37 K | |
|
Supplemental Roster: Slots 25-28 |
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| Matt Freese | 25 | $ 116 K | $ 137 K | $ 21 K | |
| Nathan Harriel | 26 | $ 88 K | $ 108 K | $ 20 K | |
| Paxten Aaronson | 27 | $ 92 K | $ 112 K | $ 20 K | |
| Jack McGlynn | 28 | $ 79 K | $ 91 K | $ 12 K | |
| Brandan Craig | 29 | $ 78 K | $ 98 K | $ 20 K | |
|
Supplemental Roster: Slots 29-30 |
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| Anton Sorenson | 30 | $ 67 K | $ 88 K | $ 21 K | |
|
DUPLICATION: On loan to other organizations |
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| Jack de Vries | $ 136 K | $ 166 K | $ 30 K | ||
| Matej Oravec | $ 285 K | $ 315 K | $ 30 K | ||
|
DUPLICATION: On loan within the organization to a lower team |
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| Anton Sorenson | $ 67 K | $ 88 K | $ 21 K | ||
Tactfully, the head coach did not emphasize that the rewards focused especially on the starters.
Four of the top five raises are defenders. Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo, and Andre Blake had new contracts announced either last year or in the most recent off-season. The new pay-rates for Blake and Mbaizo did not appear last fall because of the financial circumstances of the pandemic. The league had invoked force majeure to renegotiate the CBA. Postponing future costs was an underlying principle of the renegotiation.
Kai Wagner got a new contract before the 2021 season.
Here is the reward status of the 2021 defense, not 2022.
| Left Back |
Left Center Back |
Right Center Back |
Right Back |
| Wagner |
Elliott |
Glesnes |
Mbaizo |
| $ 581 K |
$ 794 K |
$ 739 K |
$ 367 K |
|
Goalkeeper |
|||
|
Andre Blake |
|||
|
$ 869 K |
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Author’s note: Since this piece was originally drafted, Tom Bogert of the MLS official website has reported hearing word that Italian side Venezia, relegated down from Serie A, is negotiating to buy Union Homegrown Jack de Vries who had been on loan to their U19s and did well.
Always an interesting item to review each season. A few good values (wagner, harriel, gazdag, el brujo), and a few really bad values (santos, m’baizo) jump off the page a bit. The olden days of MLS players playing significant minutes and only making $50k are gone, which is a good thing.
Martinez vs Santos, Burke, and mbaizo…
That’s the standout. Who’s his agent?
Martinez is criminally underpaid nay FELONIOUSLY underpaid
yes…agreed
It appears that way.
Yes, I see a few head scratchers on this list. Some too low and others too high. It is what it is.
Time to move on from Bedoya at that price!